A study was done a number of years ago, looking at the behavioral characteristics of superstar salespeople. One of the top five behaviors was expressed this way: Superstars are “Obsessed with time management.”
Of course! One of the greatest challenges of sales is the daily need to decide how to spend your time. Every moment of every day, a field salesperson has the opportunity to choose how to spend his/her time. Should I see this customer or that one? Should I go here or there? Should I call this prospect, visit this customer, make this cold call, go to the office, etc.
I am convinced, after decades of sales experience, and having worked with tens of thousands of salespeople, that the quality of those decisions, made continually every hour of every day, determines a salesperson’s long term success more than any other single factor.
The mediocre salespeople allow mindless routines and habits to dictate their actions. Or, they become reactive, responding to every call or indication of interest on the part of anyone. They look forward to opportunities to go to the office, because it gives them something to do. They fill their days with busy work, rationalizing that no one can do it as well as they can. So they check backorders, fill out orders, source products and pursue other tasks that are better done by others in their organizations
They are busy, but they are busy with the wrong things. That’s one of the main reasons why they are mediocre.
The best salespeople, on the other hand, take a cold-blooded perspective to the task of deciding how to spend their time. They understand that their sales time is their greatest single asset, and they jealousy guard that asset from being dissipated and worn away by the press of trivial things to do.
They develop systems, rules and disciplines to help them consciously make good decisions about the investment of their time. That’s one of the primary reasons they are the best.
To dig deeper into this issue, read my book, 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople .
